John Dancy
Consultant, U.S.
Department of Defense

The History of the Next 25 Years - America and the Future: John Dancy
Sunday, April 22, 6:00 - 7:15 p.m.
Sponsored by WorldTravel-BTI
In the next 25 years, believes John Dancy, we will wear computers in our clothes, use machines the size of molecules, and have instant access to anyone, anywhere. And since the global market will be as accessible as a local market, Americans must completely change their view of themselves and their role in the world. Professor Dancy, a former NBC News Correspondent and a consultant to the U.S. Department of Defense, will talk about everything from the nightmare vision of the U.S. under fire by those who resent its wealth and power, to the tendency for Americans to fall into a kind of hands-off, hope-for-the-best mindset.

Managing Merger Mania: Catherine P. Bessant
Monday, April 23, 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Sponsored by Navigant International/Radius
When companies merge, it's not just the employees who are forced into retrenchment mode. It's the customers who also need to adjust to the new entity. Catherine Bessant, President, Bank of America, Florida who's overseen the merger between Bank of America and NationsBank will talk about ways to keep customers satisfied, grow market share, and avoid getting tangled in government regulations-all while managing expectations during and after the transition. Her insights are particularly salient as major airlines continue to consolidate and travel managers continue to fret about service delivery, enforceability of contracts, etc.

Aerial View: Gordon Bethune
Monday, April 23, 1:00 - 2:45 p.m.
Sponsored by TQ3 Travel Solutions
Is the U.S. going to end up with three powerful airlines, the same way the automotive industry has? What exactly will the proposed mega-consolidations mean for consumers, in terms of service, price and convenience? And how is the new Bush administration handling airline and other transportation policy? Gordon Bethune, chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines, will explain what the proposed United/US Airways and American/TWA deals mean for consumers, how Continental plans to respond, and how other massive trends, from direct connects to "reconcentration" of carriers, will affect the world of corporate travel.

Riding Out the Turbulence in Travel: Ed Gilligan
Tuesday, April 24, 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Sponsored by Northwest/KLM Airlines
The megatrends affecting the travel industry since the mid-'90s have been seismic enough to rattle us to this day. What's next out there to shake us up some more? Ed Gilligan, Group President of Global Corporate Services for American Express, will discuss how travel managers can face these uncertainties and make tough decisions in 2001. And while it is anyone's guess where the overall economy is headed, Gilligan will give a clear, cogent view of how economic gyrations will likely affect business travel in the near- and long term-and how technology, globalization, and new e-commerce tools will mitigate, or exacerbate, the volatility of the world of corporate travel.

Report from the Future in the New World of Business: Polly LaBarre
Tuesday, April 24, 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.
Sponsored by One World
Virtually every facet of the business world is changing: the advance of digital technology, globalization, deregulation, and the generational shift that's seeing younger employees getting more authority and bringing innovative ideas about work styles and lifestyles to the office. Polly LaBarre, the engaging, insightful, and articulate senior editor at Fast Company Magazine, will pepper her talk with compelling facts and figures, shocking realities and illuminating vignettes on the companies that are doing it right: turning ideas into execution, forging meaningful buyer-supplier partnerships, building internal consensus, and outsmarting the competition.